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Possibly a fair point, Colin.
The counter-argument in my case is that, while I got free admission, I gave up a day’s work and drove myself over there, so it did come at a significant cost.
Paul , I am at pains to argue this point and dont want to be at all nasty , but heck you have it all wrong , snobbery and different enclosures , dress codes etc is exactly the reason why the racecources are empty most times , Gods sake this is 2008 ,we need to appeal to new racegoers , particularily the 20 and 30 somethings, try and explain to them that they should know their place unless they wear a tie
trilby and speak through several plums
wake up man , your in the past ,
all the best in the meantime
ps I used to work with Clive and for the record he is a regular babe magnet
Standard times don’t necessarily have to be scriven in stone. There has been enough racing at GL for the RP to form loose standards, and I really don’t see why they can’t avail us of them, even if they have to be adjusted at some later date. That might not do for the avid clocker, for the rest of us they’d be a better guide to the pace of individual races than we have now.
That is fair comment, imo.
I wouldnt pay £18 to get into any meeting, apart from G1 fare. You can get into Chelters or Newmarket Champions day for that money.
AND, those two courses are not building sites neither.Paul , I am at pains to argue this point and dont want to be at all nasty , but heck you have it all wrong , snobbery and different enclosures , dress codes etc is exactly the reason why the racecources are empty most times , Gods sake this is 2008 ,we need to appeal to new racegoers , particularily the 20 and 30 somethings, try and explain to them that they should know their place unless they wear a tie
trilby and speak through several plumswake up man , your in the past ,
all the best in the meantime
ps I used to work with Clive and for the record he is a regular babe magnet
Come on Ricky few people are going to say "I’m not going racing beacuse there are separate enclosures" any more than i would say I’m not going racing because there is a single enclosure.
At the end of the day it comes down to choice though, again you have not responded with a reason why there should not be a choice of enclosures..
Also just because I choose to wear a tie and go to a "top" enclosure does not mean I talk with a plum in my mouth – far from it. Interestingly one of the strictest courses for dress code enforcement (apart from the Royal meeting) is Thirsk and I would not describe them as being in plum in mouth territoty
I would suggest the reason most courses are empty is they are overpriced and not becase of any dress standards that may apply. Anyway there are very few courses who now enforce strict dress standards nowadays and I think you will those who do have strict dress codes still attract the crowds, that is certainly what I find when I go racing.
There is no reason why courses cannot cater for ll racegoers if they wanted to.
I think there can be few things more off putting for a newish racegoer to turn up to a meeting to be turned away from an enclosure because he hasnt got some crap tie on. Sorry, Paul, not with you at all on this one
That might be your personal prejudice Clivex, but in my experience -and I’ve been to every racecourse in GB- a lot of people who go racing look upon it as an occasion, ie a total experience and accordingly dress smartly ( I don’t mean expensively) Respecting the dress code is part of that experience and contributes to their enjoyment of the meet.
As to being turned away for not wearing a tie, those racecourses that do have strict dress codes make the requirements very clear. More to the point, those racecourses that require a tie in day members (whatever the enclosure is called) usually have a stock of ties for the odd person who turns up without one. Might be a couple of quid to hire and a bit scruffy, but the lack of a tie isn’t going to stop someone getting in.
richard
I think there can be few things more off putting for a newish racegoer to turn up to a meeting to be turned away from an enclosure because he hasnt got some crap tie on. Sorry, Paul, not with you at all on this one
Unless it is Thirsk where they will lend you a tie for the day for just a £2 refundable deposit
Ricky – I don’t mind having my dress sense knocked – "modern" sartorial I definitely am not. I recall a recent conversation when I was round at my Sisters – my very fascion conscious teenage niece turned, commenting on her fathers satorial style said "you are so last year, Daddy" – I turned to her and said "I suppose that makes me last century?" – she just smiled sweetly – bless her!!!!
Just a few points of fact;
I forgot the choker when I went to Royal Ascot this year. I usually have it with me in the pocket.
Anyway, all I wanted was to go in the rough part ( Tatts).
£54, BUT he couldn’t sell me a ticket, UNLESS I was wearing a tie. Ties were for sale at £10 minimum.Rather than waste the trip, I relented and bought a tie. Ripped off the cellophane and tied it without the aid of a mirror so that it was someplace above my adam’s apple.
The dude then allowed me to buy a ticket.
As soon as I got within the sliding glass doors, I proceeded to throw said tie in the bin, in full view of the ticket dude.
So, £64 down plus cost of travel before I even started!
Personally, I try to keep an open mind about people’s appearances; frankly, the horses appeal to me more, and that’s why I’m there. And even more frankly, about 90% of the folk who go racing look like ****, so it’s definitely the wrong place for concerns about "sartorial elegance", imo.
The silly thing is, that, if the powers-that-be wish to maintain an apartheit system, then, fair enough , if that’s their custom and their way, but, the half measures currently employed, do not prevent high society members from having to see the hoi-polloi such as myself as I dash twixt pre-parade and betting ring, so I wonder whatever is the point of all the nonsense?
Similarly, when the penguins and silly-billies come into the Ring to have their £2 EW, the dress-code doesn’t stop a ruffian ,such as myself, from telling them to hurry up and get out of the fkn way!
All very strange, imo.
Interestingly one of the strictest courses for dress code enforcement (apart from the Royal meeting) is Thirsk and I would not describe them as being in plum in mouth territoty
Someone in the RP (Peter Thomas?) on a visit to Thirsk decided that the North Yorkshire count of pompous tweed per acre was on a par with that in the Home Counties.
An astute observation
And, ironically, Chester and Haydock are the nearest tracks to " England’s poshest village – Wilmslow, Cheshire), yet these two feature often in the posts about "poor behaviour" etc.
" Nowt so strange as folk", I suppose, Drone?
I hope you’ll furnish the correct quote for us.I certainly do not come from a posh area but i always go racing in a shirt and tie as i go racing to get away from wearing scruffs which i can happily do at home.
Sure it is not everyones cup of tea but go to York,Ascot,Haydock even Aintee on Ladies Day and people really do enjoy putting their best clothes on.
Good for you Neil. Trackies, trainers, football replica shirts and baseball caps should not be seen anywhere but the sportsfield, or in the privacy of your own home.
I too am all for a degree of sartorial elegance when attending the races – as I am anywhere in public – but why the wearing of a tie should be the defining element of ‘smart’ I don’t know. Ghastly things.
If the choice of shoes, trousering, shirt and jacket resembles the ‘man from C&A’ look then the donning of the most expensive silk strangler in the world isn’t going to magically elevate your appearance beyond that of a scruffy schoolteacher
As for the gelled, black polyester-suited, kipper-tied groups of lads seen frequently at racecourses, well they tend to look so uncomfortable and self-conscious dolled up in such an alien manner that getting pissed seems the only way they can relax and enjoy themselves. Much the way I feel and do when pressured to wear Moss Bros best bib-and-tucker at a wedding or similar ‘formal’ event.
nowt so queer as folk
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